Dr. Judd Lowrey's Sports and Wellness Chiropractic Blog

Foot pain can be one of the most relentless and painful conditions – particularly for individuals who are used to an active lifestyle.  Pain experienced in the heel or bottom of the foot while walking, standing, or just getting out of bed is often a symptom of a common condition called Plantar Fasciitis.

But, there is a new treatment option for Plantar Fasciitis that is delivering quicker, more effective results. Active Release Techniques (ART) is increasingly being used to treat this painful condition, and this hand-on treatment is addressing the root cause of the pain – problems with the soft tissues of the foot and ankle.

The Basics of Plantar Fasciitis

Because the foot is actually one of the most complex parts of the body with 28 different bones and many joints, it is particularly prone to injury.  The system of muscles, ligaments, and tendons along the foot, ankle, and calf can also contribute to injuries such as plantar fasciitis.

Did you know that the most common injury from an automobile accident is whiplash?  In fact, whiplash can occur in a collision at speeds a slow as 5 mph. 

Whiplash most commonly occurs to the driver or passenger of a motor vehicle that is struck from behind by another vehicle.  What happens in a whiplash injury is that the passenger’s head is rapidly pulled back by the force of the collision and then is thrown forward and then back again.  Because this happens in milliseconds, the muscles, tendons and ligaments are stretched beyond their normal physical limitations.  This extremely rapid extension and flexion is the cause of whiplash, leaving soft tissue structures damaged and needing up to needing months to heal!

The now stretched muscles, ligaments and tendons are hyper-mobile allowing the bones in the spine to move past their normal limits causing nerve root and disc irritation, but might not be noticeable for weeks or even months.   Unlike a broken bone where a simple x-ray can validate the presence of the fracture and standards of care can direct a health care professional as to the best way in which to handle the injury, whiplash injuries involve an unpredictable combination of nervous system, muscles joints and connective tissue disruption that is not simple to diagnose and can be even more of a challenge to treat.

While whiplash may be the most common injury, it may not present itself immediately. These complex injuries can manifest in a wide variety of ways, including neck pain, headaches, fatigue, upper back and shoulder pain, cognitive changes and low back pain.  Since many factors can play into overall whiplash trauma, such as direction of impact, speed of the vehicles involved, as well as sex, age and physical condition, it is impossible to predict the pattern of symptoms that each individual will suffer.  Additionally, whiplash symptoms commonly have a delayed onset, often taking weeks or months to present.

The one sure thing about whiplash is that chiropractic care can help identify and treat whiplash.  Seeing a chiropractor immediately after a collision can speed your road to recovery.  Chiropractic care utilizes manual manipulation of the spine to restore the normal movement and position of the spinal vertebrae.  Manipulation involves the chiropractor gently moving the involved joint into the direction in which it is restricted.  It is by far the single-most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries, especially when coupled with massage therapy, trigger point therapy, exercise rehabilitation and other soft tissue rehabilitation modalities.

If you have been in an accident, make a chiropractic appointment as soon as you can. Details of your accident will help your chiropractor offer proper care for your whiplash injury, and speed your recovery so that you can get back to feeling your best.

Call our office at (916) 941-7508 to find out more information on how chiropractic care can help you.

Dr. Judd Lowrey, D.C. | Lowrey Chiropractic | El Dorado Hills & Folsom Chiropractor

(916) 941-7508

When a headache strikes, it can not only be painful. It can literally make it impossible to accomplish everyday activities such as working, reading, or even having a conversation.

For many, the solution is grabbing for a pain reliever to mask the pain. While medications can help relieve the pain of a headache for some, they do not address the underlying cause. This reality can lead to a problematic cycle for those who suffer from frequent headaches, resulting in overuse of medications and diminished ability to treat the pain.

Many headache sufferers are often surprised to discover that chiropractic care is an alternative treatment to pain medications that can address the underlying causes of headaches. In fact, an innovative treatment called Active Release Techniques (ART) is proving to be effective in helping individuals break the cycle of repeated headaches and find real relief from the pain.

Why Chiropractic Can Help
It is certainly understandable to think that headaches originate in the head because that is where the pain is felt. However, scientific evidence shows that many of the most common types of headaches begin in neck muscles, nerves, and joints.

The cervical spine area is comprised of seven vertebrae along with a complex system of muscles and joints that help support and control the weight of the head. When these muscles and joints are strained, often occurring with computer use, certain sports, and auto accidents, micro-trauma can occur, causing small amounts of damage to the muscles, tendons, joint capsules, and ligaments. This damage can lead to scar tissue and adhesions which can result in pain, stiffness, tightness, restricted joint motion, and diminished blood flow.

Chiropractic care, and more specifically ART, is a method of addressing problems related to scar tissue and adhesions. Chiropractors skilled in this technique first locate and then break up restrictive adhesions, free entrapped nerves, and then reinstate normal tissue flexibility and movement. The result is better flexibility, balance, and stability to the affected area.

Many patients report reduced pain from headaches in a short amount of time after undergoing ART. Significant improvement is often experienced in just four to six treatments.

ART also enables a chiropractor to find additional problems that are in the kinetic chain associated with movement compensations. These often contribute to headaches and other types of aches and pains. By treating these, areas of dysfunction and weakness that can become future sources of pain and injury can be addressed.

Because of the promising results of ART, many leading professional sports teams are now beginning to add practitioners of the technique to their training staff. As the positive effects of this technique are now being seen in both top athletes and everyday individuals, more and more will be choosing this medication-free approach to treating headaches.

Are you suffering from headaches and seeking an alternative to pain medications? ART might be right for you. To book an appointment, call our office today at 916-941-7508.

We often consider back, joint, and muscle pain to be an unwelcome, yet natural part of aging. Yet, for many children, chronic aches and pain due to sports injuries, congenital conditions such as scoliosis, or repetitive stress can be extremely problematic – even sometimes requiring professional treatment. When a child is in pain, the first reaction is often to call a pediatrician. However, a growing number of parents are incorporating chiropractic care into their children’s healthcare mix.

A child’s spine develops at a rapid pace for the first 10 years of life. Everyday activities such as carrying a heavy backpack loaded with textbooks, sitting for too long in front of the computer, or participating in sports can lead to misalignments of the spine. These misalignments can result in pain, poor posture, and some experts believe, can even lead to conditions such as headaches, sleep disorders, and hyperactivity.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic care for children has increased by nearly 10% in the last two decades with more and more seeking alternatives to traditional approaches to treat soft tissue injuries or chronic pain. In fact, chiropractic care is now the second most common form of complementary or alternative medicine for children after natural supplements such as fish oil and herbs.

Chiropractic care can be introduced at any age. Of course, many parents ask if there are any real benefits of chiropractic care for a young child. However, when you consider how often a child falls while learning how to walk and injuries that occur during playtime, you can begin to consider the cumulative damage that occurs over time. Chiropractic care treats the misalignments that can begin as early as the first year of birth. In some cases, these misalignments can even be a result of birth trauma.

By no means is chiropractic care meant to take the place of traditional medicine. However, it can be a highly effective component to overall healthcare throughout childhood by effectively treating soft tissue injuries and chronic pain resulting from conditions such as scoliosis or cerebral palsy.

Are you interested in learning more about chiropractic care for your child? Call us today at 916-941-7508 for more information or to schedule a new patient exam.